Denial & Giving In
by Infamous-uchiha
Summary: Edited / Sasuke and Shiina have similar traits; both intelligent, strong, handsome/beautiful and perfect. But not all perfect beings are truly 'perfect'. They too also have their problems. Shiina needs to find what will truly make her give in and rid of all her burdens. Sasuke also needs to find something that will allow him to give in. Hand in hand they will deny and give in.
1. Chapter 1 - Both, Meeting

She walked up towards the school's gate entrance but before she could reach there, a couple of girls came running up to her screaming.

"Shiina! Shiina! We were wondering if you would like to come have lunch with us?" "Yes, yes! Would you like to come?" exclaimed the two girls.

"… No thanks," stated Shiina, flatly.

Shiina walked off leaving the girls shocked. As she approached the school hall doors, students were gathering up behind her and slowly their screaming, chanting and shouting was rising louder and louder. Shiina kept walking and ignored the fans.

_'Honestly… What is wrong with these people…They are such a nuisance. I wish they could just dis-'_

A hand reached her shoulder and grabbed it. Shiina spun around holding a kunai, for whatever was coming for her.

"No need to kill me. I just came to tell you, the Hokage wishes to see you," stated the boy.

"Hn…" Shiina left the school building with the boy and set off for the Town Hall.

When they arrived, the Hokage looked Shiina up and down. Her hair was waist long, jet black and hung loose. Chin long bangs framed her face and a fringe covered her forehead. Her skin was as pure as snow with lips. She wore a long white coat that was unbuttoned and a black belt that was unbuckled. Behind her jacket hung two katanas in it's cases', which was slung over one shoulder. Underneath she had a white mid-riff shirt, which showed off her perfect body, with matching long skinny pants. On her right thigh, she wore the tool bag. On her feet she wore the regular ninja sandals. The Hokage was quite surprised of her appearance, for he had a different mental image of her. He then went to the boy and studied his appearance. Sasuke. He had dark raven hair, with bangs. A navy chin-high collar, short sleeve shirt and white elbow warmers, with navy on the edges. He wore white shorts and on his right thigh he wore the tool bag. His feet were cushioned by the standard ninja sandals. Both wore the Konohagakure Ninja Headband.

"Alright. I believe you are Shiina," he waved his finger at her, "and you are Sasuke."

The two nodded in sync._'Hn… This boy is Sasuke, huh? The boy whom every girl seems to talk about… I don't see what they see in him… And what's with his hair… It looks like a cockatoo…' _thought Shiina. She quickly averted her gaze from Sasuke to the Hokage.

"I have called you here to put you in a special organisation. An organisation for gifted and talented ninjas. Ninjas that have excelled in stealth, speed, strategy and strength."

_'Is… This old geezer going to put us in… ANBU?'_ thought Shiina.

"I am going to put you both in ANBU. ANBU stands for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. Today you will look at their facilities and wear their uniform if you wish. You must still go to school and also attend ANBU, including their meetings. No matter what time. At first I will understand if you two are tired after attending two things at once. But you will get used to this routine. Iruka-sensei will take you there and someone else will guide you around the HQ. That person will also give you the requirements or tell you to get the requirements yourself. Now normally people who are in ANBU have to apply for the job. Whereas for you two, we have made an exception and have invited you to join. Good luck you two!" And with that he waved them off towards Iruka-sensei.

The couple turned on their heels and faced Iruka-sensei. But before they could take their first step, the Hokage shouted out, "Oh, I almost forgot! You two are the youngest members in ANBU history. Now off you go!" a full grin danced upon his lips.

The two children quickly faced Iruka-sensei and quickly walked with him towards the HQ.

"Alright kids," he put both of his hands and laid them on top of their heads. "Here it is. Have fun! And remember, don't put a lot of stress on yourselves," on the last word, Iruka-sensei did a full fledged grin.

Both did a nonchalant nod and walked into the building. The building that had life and death on their fingertips. The organisation that could control one's fate. Shiina couldn't help but shudder at the dark aura of the hall. Sasuke happened to notice this and muttered something incoherent. Shiina picked up on this but decided not to ask. The two walked silently towards the middle of the room and waited.

Not long after a man in full ANBU uniform appeared before them, from a puff of smoke.

"Hiya kids! Un!" came a loud greeting from the tall man.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow questioningly, _'This man… is he even qualified to be in ANBU. He seems so… annoyingly stupid.' _he pushed those thoughts away from his mind and concentrated on the man.

"I'll be your guide today and I'll be showing you kids around this place and… Yep. Oh, and I'll be showing your outfits as well… plus the things you need. So follow me and stay close, we don't want our two new and cute recruits to get lost, un," he explained. "Well, let's formally introduce ourselves. Girl first, boy next and me last, un," he pointed at each person while he described one another. "Just say your name, likes, dislikes and ambitions, un."

"My name is Yuki Shiina. I like lots of things and I dislike lots of things. My ambition…I have no intention in answering," she looked at Sasuke, signalling him to go.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't particularly like many things and I dislike many things. My dream… is not a dream, it will become real. I will kill a certain man." Sasuke seemed to narrow his eyes when he said, 'kill'.

"Alright. My name is 0316. Un."

"That can't be your name. Now tell us what your real-"

Shiina cut Sasuke's speech short and informed Sasuke, "He is an ANBU member. ANBU members cannot reveal themselves. Therefore they cannot say their name. Instead they have code names. For instance his code name is, '0316'."

"Well done, Shiina. That is absolutely correct. You two will also get code names. Anyways continuing on, I like dangos, I hate vanilla ice cream. My dream is…I don't really have a dream, un. Well…That's all for today! Why don't I treat you kids to something, un?" he asked happily.

"I thought we were supposed to look around the place and get our uniforms and things?" asked Shiina clearly losing her patience with this man.

"Nope. Not today that is. Tomorrow. Come on kids let's go! Un!" he wrapped his arms on their shoulders and pulled them outside, towards the Ramen Shop. All the way, he kept chattering on and on about how fun ANBU was and something about his best friend being a tortoise… Shiina was getting more and more irritated by the minute. Sasuke, on the other hand, was clinging onto his patience.

"We're here kids! Un!" he exclaimed.

_'Thank god! I swear if I had to walk and listen to him talk for another minute, I'm going to land a hard blow on his annoying face,' _thought Sasuke. The image of him hitting the taller man made a smile curl on his lips. But he pushed the murderous thoughts away and entered the shop.

_'I need to calm down and relax. This man has done nothing to deserve my wrath. I must be more calm. I can't lose to Sasuke,' _she assured herself. She started to wonder when she became so competitive against the raven. The anger quickly slipped away from her and she entered the shop.

_'Hmm…These kids have a strong hand on their emotions. They don't let their emotions get in the way or out of their grasp. Part 1 of the test complete,'_ observed the man. He quickly entered the shop.

They all walked into the shop together and sat down on the nearest empty table. The man sat beside Shiina on one side and and Sasuke sat alone on the opposite side. The man slipped his hand into his pants' pocket and pulled out a small black cover book. The cover was a plain black, the edges and corners were slightly torn and rubbed smooth. The man opened the book, cautiously so no one could see what was contained inside. He took out a pen from his pocket and scribbled down something. Shiina made sure her face was facing Sasuke but her eyes looking at the man. She studied his hand movements closely. She could make out some letters and words. But not all. Shiina frowned and tried to figure out what was being written down. Eventually she gave up and just relaxed while she waited for the waitress to arrive.

Sasuke blankly stared at Shiina and the man. Trying to imagine what his face looked like underneath his masks. He wondered if he had soft and friendly features or a stiff and rigid face. He imagined the man with friendly and soft features, due to the way he spoke. He also picked up on how the man always said 'yeah' after everything he said. Was it just his accent or was it there on purpose? He forced himself to stop thinking about such petty things. What was going on with him today? Normally he wouldn't think about others unless he had to, but today was different. He didn't know why. Instead he answered himself - I'm only thinking about these people because they will be with me for quite some time and I just need some personal info. That's all.

A waitress quickly walked towards them, "I'm so sorry, today is just so busy," she bowed several times to apologise. "What would you like to order?" she asked quickly.

"I'll have some dangos, please! Un!" replied the man in his childish voice.

"A bowl of miso soup would be nice," answered Shiina blankly.

"A bowl of fresh salad, add a lot of tomatoes," responded Sasuke not looking at the waitress.

_'Oh my! This boy is absolutely adorable. So cute!' _The waitress blushed and her eyes turned into pink hearts. She watched Sasuke and spoke giddily.

"Of course! I'll be right back!"

Not long after she came back serving them their dishes. The dangos looked juicy and plump with the sweet sauce. The miso soup looked warm and inviting. The salad looked crispy and fresh. The ANBU slid his mask up just to reveal his mouths. The man's lips seemed more stiff and rigid. He lips were more cold and paler in colour. To Sasuke's surprise his predictions earlier were wrong. They were the complete opposite. Although Sasuke was surprised, he was sure to not express it on his face.

They all took a bite from their dishes and let the taste linger on their tongues. They savoured the taste and continued to eat their food. Shiina choked a small appreciating moan and scoffed down some more of her soup to cover up. On the other hand Sasuke noticed this and chuckled deeply in his throat.

_'It's kinda cute how Shiina tries to act all tough and emotionless, when I swore I heard her moan - I couldn't help but- Wait. Did I just say 'cute'? My head is really messed up today,' _Sasuke thought.

They quickly devoured their food and filled their starving stomachs. When they finished, the man pulled down his mask, covering his entire face once more. They involved themselves in a casual conversation but was quickly interrupted by the waitress. She shuffled nervously over to their table and once more blushed at Sasuke.

"Uhm…I was wondering…Would you like to pay now? If you do, it's ¥2000," she asked nervously.

"Yeah sure. Let me get my money..Un.." said the ANBU member, thrusting his hand inside his pockets and rummaging around.

Sasuke noticed earlier that the waitress took a liking to him. He really hated girls when they did that, especially fan girls. Why couldn't they understand he hated them? He showed his hatred towards them all the time. Why could they not understand? He thought, girls must be really air headed or their head must be made of concrete. Sasuke decided to use this to his advantage.

"Couldn't you make it cheaper? It's so expensive. You wouldn't want to upset me would you?" He forced his dark brown orbs to be glazed with lust. He licked his dry lips and locked eyes with the waitress.

The waitress choked and replied, "Oh, absolutely! You don't have to pay at all actually. You can go if you want!"

He smirked and they all stood up from their seats and headed for the exit.

"Oh. Wait," she quickly ran up to them and looked Sasuke in the eyes. She averted her gaze to the floor and shifted from one foot to the other. She twiddled her fingers and asked Sasuke, "Um…What is your name?"

"There is no need for you to know," he replied, annoyance tinted on his words.

"Oh. Well never mind then…I was just wondering…" she hesitated. "Will you go out with me?" she blurted.

"Hn…You're annoying." he replied and walked off.

The waitress stared at his back with wide watery eyes and watched him walk off. She turned around facing the shop once more and grinned.

_'You're so cool and sexy! I'm not giving up on yet!'_

Sasuke and Shiina started to head off in one direction towards their homes. The walk was a long and silent one. The warm breeze threaded their fingers in their hair. The leaves rustled calmly. The town busily went on with their jobs, buzzing with noise.

"…So where are we heading to? Un?.." the ANBU asked awkwardly.

"Home." Came the two nonchalant replies in unison.

And with that, they all separated and walked their different paths to their homes

* * *

Heyy! This is infamous-uchiha! Or was formally known as Shiina Yakuza. This story is finally back up! I haven't finished editing all of it... but you know, I'll get there. I promise. At the moment I'm rewriting chapter 2, somehow chapter 2 was missing...? I'm sorry if it's completely different from what it was orginally... I don't even remember what it was about! I wrote it a year ago... so... I'M SORRRYY! Anyways changing the topic, I hope you guys realised something about this ANBU member... You know with the 'un's and all? Get it, get it? Oh.. Ok nevermind. But rest assured it's not actually Deidara, I just thought it'd be fun if I did that, ahaha!

Ja ne Infamous-uchiha!


	2. Chapter 2 - Preview of Her, Restlessness

_The sky was a soft cerulean colour, with feathery white clouds that drifted slowly and silently across. A gentle, cool breeze blew through the meadow, in which Shiina and her mother were standing in. The flowers and grass swayed in the direction of the wind. The leaves in the trees rustled and birds serenaded to their partners._

_"Ne, Okaa-sama, we always pick these flowers, but what are they called?" Shiina bent down and prodded the flowers._

_"They're called marigolds. Do you like them?" Her mother mimicked her actions and picked a flower. To then place it in her daughter's hair._

_"Mhhm. They're so pretty and bright! I think that they show a person's true colours. Don't you think Okaa-sama?" She grinned at her own words. Obviously proud of the fact of using words of wisdom._

_"Ahaha, your too smart to be a 7 year old, but yes you're right. Long-lasting, full of willpower, determined and strong." Shiina's mother smiled gently._

_She lightly stroked her daughter's hair and hummed a song. Her daughter, happily, joined in. Her mother would sing this song to her at all sorts of occasions. When she was frightened, when she was happy or when she was going to sleep. The song has been taught by every parent to their child/ren in the Yuki clan. _

_'There's no guarantee, _

_That this'll be easy, _

_It's not a miracle you need, _

_Believe me.'_

_They brought the bunch of flowers back to their home and arranged them neatly into a vase. Her mother gave Shiina to place it wherever she liked. She ran out with the vase into the middle of the Yuki district. She placed it in front of the stone memorial - The Marigold Stone. The stone that had all of those that had passed away from the Yuki clan. Her mother, finally having caught up with her daughter, saw the vase placed in front of the stone. Shiina took a step back and her mother placed her hands on her shoulders. They stood in silence and read the names engraved on each petal. Shiina's mother, as soon as she had spotted her late mother's name, tried to hold back her tears._

_Shiina felt a drop of warm liquid land on her nose and looked up. Her mother was crying. Her hands trembled and she lifted them to cover her face. Her shoulders shook and her sobs; muffled. Shiina watched the pain, grief and melancholy take shape in her face. Shiina wasn't quite sure why she was crying, but she knew she had to do something. She embraced her mother around her waist and pressed her face against her stomach._

_"Okaa-sama… It's ok. _

_'There's no guarantee,_

_That this'll be easy_

_It's not a miracle you need,_

_Believe me,_

_Yeah, I'm no angel,_

_I'm just me,_

_But I will love you endlessly_

_Wings aren't what you need.'_

_I'm not sure, why you're crying, but I'll promise you everything will be ok." Shiina lifted her head and tugged her arms to pull her hands away from her face. _

_Her mother, still crying, cried even harder. She dropped to her knees and hugged her daughter. Shiina, quite astonished, returned her embrace and nuzzled her face into her mother's shoulder. _

_Her mother lightly pushed her daughter away from her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. She said in-between sobs, "Your grandmother died two days before you were born. When I saw her name on the stone… I… Shiina, I love you never forget that, ok? I want you to stay strong and protect the ones you love, no matter what the cost."_

_"Ok, Okaa-sama."_

_That night, a policeman came to their estate and told them her father had passed away at work. Shiina and her mother were devasted. She ushered Shiina into her room and put her to bed. Her mother looked like she was going to cry again, but again she wasn't sure why._

_"Okaa-sama… What did the policeman mean when he said 'Hiroshi Yuki has passed away'? What does 'passed away' mean?" Shiina studied her mother's face carefully._

_Her mother's eyes had pools of tears ready to leak. "It means… Your father's dead."_

* * *

__Hey guys!

I'm sorry for taking so long to post the next chapter. I just ugh been so lazy. Although I finally got some inspiration to finish it! I hope you guys enjoyed this preview. I'm sorry if you guys have no idea what it's about, but you'll have to find out in the next chapter. Don't give me those puppy dog eyes, nope, I'm not telling you... Oh alright! It's about Shiina's past. Most of her past. She get's a flashback. There, phew, I let it out. God, I feel good. Hahaha, see you soon in the next chapter!

Ja ne Infamous-uchiha!


	3. Chapter 2 - Her, Restlessness

Chapter 2: Her; Restlessness

Shiina collapsed onto her bed and shoved her face into a pillow. She sighed loudly into it. Today was the 'anniversary' of her family's death. The day where she lost everything. The day where everyone she had ever loved disappeared. The day where darkness cut off the blood that pumped through her veins. Her mind, soul and heart was cut off. She withdrew herself from anyone and everyone. She liked it that way. It made things less difficult and less confusing. It allowed her to think straight. It allowed her to move on and forget about all of her troubles. This was her interpretation of happiness and peace.

The cool wind blew through her window, gently stroking her skin. She flipped over and looked out the window. Small robins flew past in the cerulean sky serenading their sweet lullaby. It calmed her. The soft blue of the sky sent her wild senses into an unperturbed state. All her troubles and instability drifted into the clouds, gone. The silence ward off any insecurities. This was paradise.

"Okaa-san… Otou-san…" Shiina closed her eyes. Wistful memories of them flooded her mind. She hated thinking about them. It made her feel so uncomfortable - pathetic, useless and unreliable. She sat up and pushed her bangs behind her ears. She swiftly pulled her hair into a high ponytail and sighed once again. She jumped off her bed and strode downstairs to the living room. She grabbed her wallet and walked out, into town.

She browsed through several flower shops and stopped at the one furthest from all the other shops. The shop didn't look like one of those new ones, that you'd normally see everywhere. It looked more like one of the traditional ones. She traced the wood that surrounded the window sill then pushed open the door, sounding off a tinkering bell. The young boy sitting on a stool, playing with a superhero figure, looked up and ran into a room behind the counter. A few moments later a man in about his mid twenties came out from the room with the young boy clinging onto his shirt, peering at him from behind him. The man smiled and bent down to whisper something into the child's ear. The boy shyly approached her and stuttered, "W-welcome to Konoha's First Flower S-shop." He blushed and ran back to the man. Shiina smiled and chuckled.

"Is there anything I can help you with ma'am?" The man smiled warmly and approached her.

"Yes, please. Do you have any marigolds?"

"Why of course! I'll just go into the store room and get some." The man walked to the store room and said to the boy, "Go play with the young lady ok?"

The boy responded, "Yes otou-san!" He ran up to Shiina and grinned. "Ne, miss, let's play a game - hide and seek! I'll hide and you seek okay? Count to ten!"

Shiina covered her eyes and counted to ten, "1, 2, 3, 4…"

The boy ran off and squeezed into a narrow passage behind a shelf of bouquets. Shiina uncovered her eyes and looked around the shop. She looked behind, pots, boxes, tables, pretty much everywhere. She frowned and decided to detect him with her sensing skills. She closed her eyes and focused on picking up his chakra and smiled when she detected his. She walked towards the shelf.

The boy pouted when he saw her do something that didn't look like what a normal person would do and assumed she was a ninja. He whispered, "She's cheating!"

When she came around and saw him, she smiled. "Found you."

"That's not fair! You cheated! You did some sort of ninja thing!" The boy exclaimed and pouted. He crossed his arms and turned around, facing his back to Shiina.

Shiina feinted a shocked expression and chuckled. She ruffled his messy, brown locks and said, "Gomen, I was naughty and cheated because I couldn't find you. I guess that makes you the winner."

"Really?" The boy turned around, grinning.

"Yes," Shiina smiled.

"Yay!"

The boy jumped up and hugged Shiina, pushing her backwards and bumping into the shelf causing a vase full of roses to fall from the shelf. Shiina looked up and quickly pushed the boy away from her.

The father came back from the storage, holding a bundle of marigolds. He grinned, "Here you go, miss. That'll be ¥30,000" He saw his son knock her into the shelf and his expression quickly changed into a frightened one. "Watch out!" The father cried, as he tried to prevent the vase from falling onto his son.

The boy looked at the vase, with widened eyes full of shock. Shiina swiftly caught the vase and grasped the roses that had fallen out of the vase. She turned to look at the boy and smiled, "It's ok. You're safe."

The boy tightly hugged her and snuggled into her. He pulled away and grinned, "Arigato!" He looked at the vase in Shiina's hand and then her other hand holding the roses. He grimaced at the thorns jabbing into her palms and fingers. He took the vase away and said, "Are you okay, miss? The roses-"

"Jakuru, fetch me the first-aid kit." The father quickly got to his knees and slowly pulled away the roses. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" He held Shiina's hand and expected it closely.

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much." She pulled out her wallet and gave him ¥30,000. She took the marigolds from the counter and pushed open the door.

"Wait! Miss! Here's the first-aid kit. Are you ok?" Jakuru grabbed her wrist. Her flipped her hand over and stared at it. "U-um… I think you should fix those cuts first. Don't worry it won't hurt much. Is that what your of? Is that why you're leaving?" Jakuru grinned at those last few questions, "You're scared aren't you. Scaredy cat."

Shiina stared down at the rosy-cheeked child and chuckled. "That's right, I'm a scaredy cat."

As she left the shop, the resonating sound of the bell jingled. Leaving the son and father to stare at her back. She smelt the cluster of marigolds and smiled. It reminded her of her family. Back when they were still with her, they would used to go out and pick them from the meadows. It was a joyous occasion. A time for everyone to enjoy and be at peace, even if it was just for that moment.

The aroma triggered memories of the last time she was able to go pick marigolds.

_The sky was a soft cerulean colour, with feathery white clouds that drifted slowly and silently across. A gentle, cool breeze blew through the meadow, in which Shiina and her mother were standing in. The flowers and grass swayed in the direction of the wind. The leaves in the trees rustled and birds serenaded to their partners._

_"Ne, Okaa-sama, we always pick these flowers, but what are they called?" Shiina bent down and prodded the flowers._

_"They're called marigolds. Do you like them?" Her mother mimicked her actions and picked a flower. To then place it in her daughter's hair._

_"Mhhm. They're so pretty and bright! I think that they show a person's true colours. Don't you think Okaa-sama?" She grinned at her own words. Obviously proud of the fact of using words of wisdom._

_"Ahaha, your too smart to be a 7 year old, but yes you're right. Long-lasting, full of willpower, determined and strong." Shiina's mother smiled gently._

_She lightly stroked her daughter's hair and hummed a song. Her daughter, happily, joined in. Her mother would sing this song to her at all sorts of occasions. When she was frightened, when she was happy or when she was going to sleep. The song has been taught by every parent to their child/ren in the Yuki clan. _

_'There's no guarantee, _

_That this'll be easy, _

_It's not a miracle you need, _

_Believe me.'_

_They brought the bunch of flowers back to their home and arranged them neatly into a vase. Her mother gave Shiina to place it wherever she liked. She ran out with the vase into the middle of the Yuki district. She placed it in front of the stone memorial - The Marigold Stone. The stone that had all of those that had passed away from the Yuki clan. Her mother, finally having caught up with her daughter, saw the vase placed in front of the stone. Shiina took a step back and her mother placed her hands on her shoulders. They stood in silence and read the names engraved on each petal. Shiina's mother, as soon as she had spotted her late mother's name, tried to hold back her tears._

_Shiina felt a drop of warm liquid land on her nose and looked up. Her mother was crying. Her hands trembled and she lifted them to cover her face. Her shoulders shook and her sobs; muffled. Shiina watched the pain, grief and melancholy take shape in her face. Shiina wasn't quite sure why she was crying, but she knew she had to do something. She embraced her mother around her waist and pressed her face against her stomach._

_"Okaa-sama… It's ok. _

_'There's no guarantee,_

_That this'll be easy_

_It's not a miracle you need,_

_Believe me,_

_Yeah, I'm no angel,_

_I'm just me,_

_But I will love you endlessly_

_Wings aren't what you need.'_

_I'm not sure, why you're crying, but I'll promise you everything will be ok." Shiina lifted her head and tugged her arms to pull her hands away from her face. _

_Her mother, still crying, cried even harder. She dropped to her knees and hugged Shiina. Shiina, quite astonished, returned her embrace and nuzzled her face into her mother's shoulder. _

_Her mother lightly pushed her daughter away from her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. She said in-between sobs, "Your grandmother died two days before you were born. When I saw her name on the stone… I… Shiina, I love you never forget that, ok? I want you to stay strong and protect the ones you love, no matter what the cost."_

_"Ok, Okaa-sama."_

_That night, a policeman came to their estate and told them her father had passed away at work. Shiina and her mother were devasted. She ushered Shiina into her room and put her to bed. Her mother looked like she was going to cry again, but again wasn't sure why._

_"Okaa-sama… What did the policeman mean when he said 'Hiroshi Yuki has passed away'? What does 'passed away' mean?" Shiina studied her mother's face carefully._

_Her mother's eyes had pools of tears ready to leak. "It means… Your father's dead."_

_Shiina's eyes grew wide. "D-died? B-but… He can't… No! He can't leave us! We love him! No! Okaa-sama! The doctors can do something right, right?!" Shiina burst into tears in sync with her mother._

_They fell asleep in a sobbing mess, late in the night. That night the whole Yuki clan was massacred. Only Shiina was spared._

She pushed the door into her house and placed the bouquet of flowers on the kitchen bench and sat on a stool. She took the empty vase on the bench and placed the bundle of marigolds neatly in it. The gold swirls that decorated the white, glossy vase mesmerised Shiina to no end. She lightly and slowly traced her fingers on the swirls. This was the same vase that she had placed in front of the memorial. As you could imagine, she treasured it very dearly. She took the vase and began her trip to the Yuki district.

"Hm, this place is a ghost town. It's dead silent," Shiina laughed lightly, "What am I saying? They are dead." Her smile quickly transformed into melancholic expression.

The place was completely deserted. The place hadn't been touched in 9 years. The only sign of life was Shiina's footprints which clearly stood out on the ground. She followed her own prints to the stone and placed the vase in front of it. She took a step back and gazed at the sight in front of her. This moment was exactly the same as that day. Except for the fact that it wasn't the same. Especially without her family.

"My, my, 9 years have passed already."

Shiina quickly turned on her heel and held out her kunai. Her eyes fuelled with anger. Her hands shook and her knees trembled. It didn't take a genius to know that she was petrified. In front of her was nothing. The fact that she didn't know where her enemy was terrifying to her. She frantically looked up, left, right and behind but to of no avail.

"How cute… You're scared."

"Tsch. Who's scared, but you!" Shiina retorted.

The man smirked and appeared behind her, holding a sword tightly pressed to her neck. Shiina gasped then growled deeply. He pressed the sword a fraction harder and caused a small cut on her neck. A drop of dark blood fell on the blade. The man pulled the sword away and licked the warm liquid off. Shiina quickly did a hand stand and flipped backwards away from the man.

The man chortled, "You've grown so much, since I last saw you."

"Shut up!" Shiina screamed. She charged towards him and consecutively attempted to thrust the kunai into his chest.

The man effortlessly dodged her attacks and laughed again. "Do you remember the day your parents and everyone you loved so dearly died? Let's see when was it? …Ah, what a coincidence - it's today."

Shiina clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth to try and calm down her raging emotions. She wanted to mercilessly thrust her sword into his black heart and rip it out. But she knew she couldn't. She was too weak. She wasn't ready for him. Just like how she was unprepared for him that night and she couldn't protect her family. She didn't know what to do. At this rate, there was a possibility that he could kill her. Plus the face that she was afraid didn't help out all. She tried to take a step back but before she could the man began to laugh hysterically.

He cocked his head to the side and licked his lips, "You must be utterly terrified. Look at you - your chakra is wavering, your breathing is a mess and your emotions are all muddled up." He took a step closer towards Shiina. She responded by taking a step back. "The fear behind your eyes is so exhilarating. It reminds me of that night when I-"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Shiina yelled, "Stop toying with me and just spit it out!"

"Oh?" Amusement flickered in the man's eyes, "Spit what out?"

"You obviously came here for a reason. So what is it?" Shiina steadied her breath, "I don't have all day to deal with your crap."

"Heh, I heard recently you're working with Sasuke, is that right?" He smirked.

"Don't ask me stupid questions, if you already know the answer."

Shiina thought to herself, _'How did he find out that we were going to be in the ANBU together? What does he want with Sasuke? I may not know him that much, but he is a comrade of mine and I should protect him.'_

"What do you want with him?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." His lips curved into a sick smile.

She shuddered. That smile always have her chills. It just made her so uncomfortable. But then again everything about him made her uneasy. _'I still don't know what your gonna do to him or what you want from him. But I won't allow it."_

"So then why are you coming to me, when you could easily approach him yourself?" She tightened her grip around her kunai.

"Sasuke obviously isn't the type who likes to get close with people. Since your going to be in the ANBU with him, you obviously need to work together with him. I need you to get closer to him and bring him to me."

"No." She spat. "What the hell made you think I would do that?"

The man chuckled, "If you don't, I'll kill you."

"Tsch. I'm not scared."

"Hmm… Interesting. Why are you so determined on protecting Sasuke?"

"He's my comrade. The least I can do is protect him from you," she said. _'Since I couldn't protect my family…'_

"I see," he sighed, "I really didn't want to kill you, Shiina, but I guess I have to."

The man conjured up a couple of shurikens and threw them towards Shiina with a flick of his wrists. Shiina closed her eyes and focused her chakra onto the bottom of her souls then jumped upwards, in a flash, avoiding the shurikens. She threw down a smoke bomb and dived back down. The man confused, tried to sense where she was in the cloudiness. Shiina threw her kunai at the man and directly pierced his heart. Luckily her training with her sensei prepared her for a battle like this. Her aiming skills were, as always, perfect. Plus her speed was an easy advantage.

She ran behind him, pulled her katana out of it's sheath and impaled his back. The tip of the sword protruded out of his body and dripped with blood. Shiina panted harshly. "I… I did it… I killed him." She frowned, _'Something's not right. It can't be this easy to kill him… Can it?' _She pulled out her sword with a sickening slick and looked at the man fall.

For a moment there was silence. Then the man coughed and spluttered blood. Large amounts of the liquid stained the ground and his face. The life that once glimmered in his eyes died away, leaving a dull _lifeless _colour.

"How will killing me benefit you…?" she murmured to herself.

She turned away from the corpse and slid her blood-soaked katana back into it's sheath. She stopped for a moment to glance at the stone. She smiled, lightly and closed her eyes,

_'There's no guarantee,_

_That this'll be easy_

_It's not a miracle you need,_

_Believe me,_

_Yeah, I'm no angel,_

_I'm just me,_

_But I will love you endlessly_

_Wings aren't what you need.'_

"Your death benefits me in every way."

Shiina gasped and her eyes shot open. That voice… For a moment she thought it was… but it couldn't be? Could it? She felt her heart skip a beat and realised she was hanging upside down from a tree with a cold hand tightly gripping one of her ankles.

"W-what's going on…?"

A sigh was heard followed by a chuckle, "You've grown so much, but then again maybe not. You're still so oblivious."

Shiina craned her neck upwards to catch a look at the person who was holding her from falling. Her eyes widened open and whispered, "It can't be…"

"Oh yes, it can." The man smirked and licked his lips.

"How did- This can't be possible. I just killed you."

"Tsk tsk, Shiina. It's not hard to make a clone, you know."

"But… When?"

"Don't you remember? When you closed your eyes to focus your chakra. That's when. It was only a split second, but that's plenty of time for me." He smirked maliciously and tightened his grip on Shiina's ankle with inhumane strength, cracking her bones.

"But- Ha-ahhh!" Shiina screamed. She tried to use her other leg to kick his hand, all the while screaming.

"You want me to release your leg? Heh, ok then."

He loosened his grip on Shiina slowly, ever so slowly, taunting her. Until finally letting her fall. He laughed psychotically as he saw her land on the ground with a sickening crunch.

"Uh!" Shiina clenched her jaw and tried not to scream.

The pain from her ankle was already unpleasant but in addition with her spine cracking from the fall was utterly unbearable. A bead of sweat dropped from her forehead as she tried to withstand the pain. She forced herself to sit up, shakily. Tears pooled at the brim of her eyes. She wiped them away and tried not to whimper as she stood up.

_'I don't know how much I can take…' _she thought.

"Heh, you can still put up a fight. I must commend you for that, Shiina," he mocked her. He grabbed her arms and slammed her to ground, causing a startled scream from her. "Now why don't you just let me put you out of your miser-"

"Stop. Don't touch her."

Shiina and the man both turned to where the voice was coming from.

"S-sasuke?" Shiina whispered.

"If it's me you want, come and get me." Sasuke stood his ground, firmly.

"Sasuke…" The man licked his lips.

"Sasuke! Get out of here! Run!" Shiina screamed.

"No. I'm not leaving you alone with this monster."

Shiina tried to pull away from the man's grasp. She was crying now. She was already in enough pain and the thought of her dying scared her to no end. Plus the fact that Sasuke might die too, didn't help. She couldn't escape. She couldn't protect anyone. She couldn't even make Sasuke leave. Tears poured down like a monsoon. She sobbed loudly. She didn't know what to do. She was completely helpless.

The man slipped a kunai out from his sleeve and stabbed it into Shiina's hands. Constricting her from doing anything. She screamed loudly, with widened eyes. She arched her back in pain. At first she wasn't sure what was happening to her hands but it quickly sank in. The pain quickly spread. A generous amount of dark red blood spilled out from her hands. Fear and pain mixed with her sweat emitted from her body.

The man loomed over Shiina and smelt her neck, giving her a lick with the flick of his tongue. "Mmm… Fear. Delicous."

"Y-you're disgusting. Get off of me and leave him alone. Or I swear I'll… I'll…" Shiina hesitated. _'I'll what? I can't do anything. I'm helpless,' _she thought.

"Hahaha, you'll what?"

"That's enough." Sasuke interrupted.

He took out some shurikens from his tool bag and threw them at the man. The man disappeared with a 'poof'. Sasuke quickly ran to Shiina and sucked in a long breath. Her skin was unusually pale, her lips were drained of colour. Sweat covered her forehead and temples, causing her hair to stick. She was panting in ragged breaths and her eyes were filled with tears. Her hands were skewered together with a kunai, and still bleeding.

_'Damn it. He's staring. If I don't die from this, I'll die from embarrassment. I can't believe he saw me in this state.' _Shiina thought.

She averted her eyes away from his gaze, signalling that she was uncomfortable. He picked up on this and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, now go. Leave me alone." Shiina murmured.

Sasuke slightly surprised, murmured, "I don't think so. I'll take you to the hospital." He reached for the kunai jabbed into Shiina's hands and said, "This is going to hurt… a bit."

"Wait!" Shiina breathed in shakily, "I… Don't worry. Just pull it out. Quickly."

Sasuke glanced at her warily, searching for any sign, even if it were a small one, of hesitation. Even if he did find any, he would have to take it out anyway. He placed his hands firmly on the kunai and ripped it out. With a loud, ear shattering scream, it was done. Vasts amounts of blood poured out. Shiina panted harshly. She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes. All she wanted was for the pain to disappear. She gasped when she felt a pair warm hands lift her next to an even warmer chest.

"S-sasuke…"

"What? You think I'm gonna drop you or something?" He looked at Shiina and smirked.

Shiina blushed lightly and looked away, "Tsch. Put me down. I can walk there myself. I don't need your help."

"Stop denying my help. The thing you need most right now is help."

He jumped to a nearby roof and looked at Shiina. Her mouth opened slightly, as if she were about to protest, but shut it. She couldn't be bothered arguing right now. She was too tired. Sasuke quickly rushed to a hospital and got Shiina immediate attention. He sat on the seats outside and waited. He thought about what had happened before. That guy. Shiina. What did they have against each other? What was Shiina doing there? _'That guy… that guy was Orochimaru. No denying it,' _he thought. Questions swarmed his head and eventually he fell into a restless sleep.

Shiina had just finished going through all of the operations and she was completely warn out. She ached in every corner of her body. Her eyes begged to sleep and her mind was a mess. Yet she couldn't sleep. She listened to the rhythmic sounds of her heart monitor and looked out her window. She had a beautiful view. A full moon, a cloudless night and tens of thousands of stars. She smiled lightly and held her hand up to moon, as if she were to hold it. One day she would be able to hold that moon. That moon would give her everything she could've wished for. "When I can grasp that moon… is when I'll be able to give in. To allow my burdens disappear."

"Sasuke… arigato… I promise you, I'll return you the favour."

With that Shiina fell into a restless sleep with a light smile on her face. Even though it was restless, something made her untroubled. Or maybe, someone.

* * *

Yo!

I finally finished chapter 2, yes! Give me a high five! No? Ok... *cries in the corner* I had so many ideas for this chapter but I kept forgetting them, but then I finally remembered to write down one of my ideas and tada! It came out all crappy like this, yayyyy! I wonder if you guys knew that it was Orochimaru, hmmm. Nahhh I'm too much of an amazing writer for you guys to have found out, hahaha. I'm only kidding. You guys probably knew, oh well, guess I'll have to try harder next time! The different scenes I had to write were difficult in their own way. I played music according to it's feelings, so the first bit was slow gentle music and the fight was hard rough music then came the end a nice gentle saddish kinda song. Wow, it sounds so weird when I put it like that. I must be so weird. I bet all of you amazing writers out there are like you are so... retarted... But it's ok, I know deep down someone out there thinks I'm sugoi! *cries with fist in the air* That's all for now guys! Please remember to review! Thanks!

Ja ne Infamous-uchiha!


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